Creator Interview: Kawaku

Kawaku is an illustrator who draws girls with a sweet atmosphere. However, her pictures also have a kind of intensity to them. What is the person behind these girls who emit radiance from the inside like? We interviewed this talented creator to find out.

TOM: You’ve been actively drawing doujinshi for more than 10 years. That’s a very long time, isn’t it?Kawaku: I liked drawing pictures ever since kindergarten, and in elementary school, I came across Shonen Sunday. I grew to like it very much, and at that time, I wanted to make unique doujinshi of derivative works while drawing original illustrations. It wasn’t until high school that I genuinely began my activities, which I only did to enjoy doujin activities with my friends. At first, I drew originals, but after going to university, most of my works were derived. After becoming a pro, I returned to drawing originals again.

TOM: How did you decide to make drawing your job?Kawaku: At that time, I didn’t think I would become an illustrator like I am now. This occupation wasn’t very well-known to begin with, and I didn’t even know there was such a job that consisted of solely drawing illustrations. I had the vague idea that since I liked drawing, I would make it my job and become a mangaka, possibly. When I was in elementary school, I was reading Ribbon1, which had manga drawn by Kei Kusunoki 2 in it, and I became drawn to the job of a mangaka.

TOM: And ever since then, you were aiming to become a mangaka?Kawaku: Until middle school, I wanted to become a mangaka, but after entering high school, I naturally came to think differently. I always liked drawing illustrations, though.

When I was wrestling with advancing to university, I came into contact with making CG for the first time on my younger brother’s computer, and I found it to be very interesting. On that occasion, I became interested in making illustrations with computers, and I decided to study CG in a technical school. At that time, there were no pen tablets yet, so I had to draw my illustrations with a mouse. It was around the time when the Internet was called inter-PC communication, too. I used something that resembled an Internet bulletin board. We would group together with fellow illustration-lovers, upload our own illustrations, and show them to each other. I am still keeping in touch with the illustrators I met at that time.

TOM: And what happened after that, how did you get where you are now?Kawaku: After graduating from the technical school, I saw a recruitment for the position of assistant for Kei Kusunoki and Kaoru Oohashi, so I applied and got the job.Kei Kusunoki and Kaoru Oohashi are twin sisters who both work as mangaka. They were also drawing their own respective manga at the same company. I was dedicated to my assistant job for a while, but since they recommended it, I started to work on a homepage for my illustrations. Through that page, I came to receive job requests, and I was walking in two shoes at the same time, both as an assistant and an illustrator.

Regarding manga, after drawing the original work for the table talk RPG Shin Sword World RPG Replay NEXT3, I serialized it as an original. However, shortly after that, I became ill, and I was forced to quit serialization.

The first job I received as an illustrator was drawing card illustrations for a card game. I still receive a lot of illustration requests for social card games. After that, I quit my job as an assistant, moved to Tokyo, and decided to focus solely on my job as an illustrator.

TOM: All the girls in your illustrations wear such pretty dresses.Kawaku: Well, aren’t clothes out of the ordinary more fun? I think what a girl is wearing in an illustration is an important element that draws the eyes of those who see it. “Fairyland” is one of my most favorite illustrations, and the clothes this girl is wearing were also based on an image that suddenly came into my mind. Among my works that take fairytales as their motif, there is an illustration that combines a princess with a stone window, but after that, I wanted to draw a glass window, so I decided to give her a window-shaped hair ornament.

Also, in “PS” and “Russian Blue,” you can see a cat. I like cats, and I have a Russian Blue at home. Although it may not be part of the garment, my illustrations often have a cat motif.

TOM: What kind of works do you want to draw from now on?Kawaku: I’ve liked games ever since I was small, especially The Legend of Zelda, Mario, and Romancing SaGa. Lately, I’m addicted to a game called Dragon’s Crown. That’s why I still aspire to do character design in the genre of my favorite games. It’d be nice to design for RPGs, which I love, but I’d also like to work on games of other genres. When I think about a girl I drew moving around on screen, I get very excited.

TOM: A word or two to your overseas fans, please.Kawaku: Your power always surprises me and gives me energy at the same time. It makes me feel very happy that in Japan people can see my works regardless of whether I’m famous or not. Please continue to give me your support in the future.

Check out our picture collection of Kawaku’s work, and don’t forget to SUKI this talented creator! Keep it here for even more interviews with some of the most prominent creators in the otaku world!

^1^ A monthly shoujo manga magazine published by Shueisha. It is one of the three biggest shoujo magazines in Japan.

^2^ A Japanese manga artist who is active in both the shoujo and shonen genres. Her representative works include Yagami-kun no Katei no Jijou and Ogre Slayer.

^3^ A Sword World RPG replay that was published in volumes by Fujimi Shobo from 2004 to 2007. It has nine volumes (27 chapters) plus an extra (four chapters). The illustrations were drawn by Kawaku.

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